By Carole Howard PREVIEW Columnist, and the library staff Meg Wempe, library director, and her staff report that library operations are going well under the current COVID Level Red: Severe Risk restrictions — albeit sometimes with service a little slower than usual. “Because libraries have been declared an essential service, we are very glad that we can continue serving our community’s needs while still keeping patrons and staff safe. With circumstances changing quickly, though, we encourage you to email or call with any questions that you may have about our operations — and to keep up to date with state and county COVID guidelines,” she said.